Valve



3 Sheets-Sheet l fnz/enfor.;

May 26, 1936. R. W. LEACH ET AL VALVE Filed Deo. 29, 1952 May 26, 1936. R. w, .LEACH ET A1. 2,042,066

VALVE Filed Dec. 29, 1952 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 M m u /Okaf May 26, 1936. R. w. LEACH ET AL 2,042,066

' VALVE Filed Deo. 29,1952 5 sheets-sheet 5 Patented May 26, 1936 VALVE.

Robert William Leach and William Henry Y Bateman, Newport, Englandv Application December 29, 1932, Serial No. 649,272

In Great Britain January 2, 1932 t?v Claims.

This invention relates particularly to. valves of the kind commonly knownas sluice valves, but it is applicable to various :forms of valves including both those in which. the closure member be-` comes separated from: its seating, when the valve is opened, and those in which the. closure member remains permanently in contact v tithits seating.

The object of. the invention is to enable lubricating, sealing, cleansing or other uid or plastic Substance to.be intermittently supplied in a convenient and elective manner to the working surfaces of the valve at a. predetermined. interval in each operation of the movablev part of the valve.

The invention comprises the combination of a, chamber for duid substance, and means for forcing a quantity of the fluid substance from the. chamber into distributing channels during each closing movement of. the closure. member- VIn thethree accompanying sheets of explanatory drawings Figure 1 is a sectional side elevation of one formof valve provided with this invention.

Figures 2 and 3 illustrate modifications of that ferm ofthe invention. shown in Figure 1.

Figures fi and. 5 are sectional end. and', side elevations illustrating one aplication, ot the invention to. a pivoted flap valve.

Figures 6-8 illustrate alternative formations of the distributing channels in theclosure member 0r seating surfaces.

In the application of the invention to a. sluice valve as shown in Figure 1, in. which a wedge-like movable closure member a isV arranged to cooperate with a. pair ofroppositelyY inclined fixed seatings b in the body part c, the interior of the member a is made hollow, and is adapted to serve asa chamber to which fluid canlbe supplied from avseparatereservoird arranged at the outer end of the operating spindle e. The uid contained in the reservoir may be a lubricating oil or grease, or it. may be a plastic substance required', for ef'- f'ecting a, seal. between the working surfaces of the valve, or it may be liuid suitable for cleansing the working surfaces. In the example illustrated, the hollow interior of the part a is divided into two parts by the seating f of a valve g this valve being pressed towards its seating by a spring h. The lower part ofthe chamber in the part a is of cylindrical form, and within it is arranged a slidable piston 1; for forcing the :duid substance into distributing channels in the working faces ofthe closure member, the piston being moved in one directionby a strong spring j, this movement. benglimited by a. shoulder 1c' in the part a..

55 The channels aforesaid may be provided in any convenient manner In the example illustrated they are formed in each ofthe. opposite faces of. the closuremember a by a plate lwhich, is screwed or otherwise secured into, a cavity in the said part and is formed with a ringl ci perforations mY in 5 communication with a continuous. annular groove m1 in the working face, which groove is closed by the adjacent seating b when the valve is closed- The fluid substance passes from the chamber con.- taning the piston 1l to the cavity behind each 10` plate l through an opening whichy is controlled by a spring loaded non-return. Valve n.

The formation of the distributing channels may be moded. in a, variety of ways.. An alternative example is seen in Figure 3` and will be readily 15 understood without further description. The form shown in Figure 6 is, essentially similar to that shown in Figure 1,V excepting that in thisexample the groove m1 is formed in the seating face b instead of on the closure memben In the 20 example shown-in Figure 7, the part a has screwed on to it a plate l shaped' as shown, and', on. to the reduced periphery of this plate is screwed a ring l1. The plate l' has holes Z2 formedlin it to provide the required passages and these open into. 25 an annular groove m2 having inclined sides which merge into a short and narrow annular outlet channel m. The example shown in Figure 4 differs from that of Figure '7 in that the. annular groove m2 is shaped to provide a longer narrow 30,

groove m. Y

On the interior of the body c of the valve: aljacent to the exposed' end of the piston z. is. arrangedV an abutment o which during the closing of the valve comes into contact, with the piston 35 and forces it against' the spring i inthe direction for displacing the fluid substance through the perforations m.` In this movement the valve g is also opened by the piston, displacement along the spindle e towards the reservoir d being pre- 40. vented' by the Spring loaded non-return valve pi.

DuringV the opening movement of the valve, When the closure member a is raised off its seatings by the spindle e (which is operated by a handle a acting on the screw threaded outer part ofthe spindle) the piston z" descends under the action ofthe spring :i and causes iluid substance to i-low from the chamber d past the valves p and t until the latter closes on its seating. Thereafter no fluid substance can pass tothe perforations m until the following closing movement of the valve when by the interaction of the piston i an abutment o a further quantityis dis,- placed.

As regards the reservoir d, situatedV at the outer 55 ply of lubricant to-the interior of thermain valvepart 0L...'Eeriod'lic v compression of thespring, is effected by rotating the plug further into th valve stem.

In the example shown in Figure 2, the lubricant chamber is arranged in the body c of the valve beneath the closure member a. Lubricant from a reservoir d (provided with`a ho1low"pluggs, piston q and spring r, as already described) com,- municates through non-return valvesgt, p, with a chamber u in one side of which isVV arranged a slidable piston i controlled by a springy'. The outlets mirom the chamber are controlled by non-return ,Valves U which permit flow oflubricant from theY chamber u through the outlets Am to passages in the seatings b of the body part c. When the closure member a is moved between the seatings into its closed position it engages the piston i and causes lubricant to be displaced from the chamber u to the seating surfaces. Also the valve t is opened bythe projection w on the piston'. During the withdrawal of the valve a from between its seatings lubricant can pass from d to u` until the valvet closes. At the same time the piston j Vreturns c under the action of its Spring i. f

vThe'modiflcation shown in Figure 3, is essentially similar to the construction 'shown in Figure l, and differsin that the closure member a is provided with separate faces .A1 for co-operating with the' seatingsrb, the faces being connected topthe part a by spherically shaped parts :z: on which the faces can swivel and thereby automatically adjust themselves to the seatings b.

In the application of the invention to a pivoted apvalve asshown in Figures 4 and 5, we arrange within the body part c of the valve any suitable annular or other seating b, and in associationwith the seating we pivot a hollow ap a2 which is attached to a hollow spindle 2 situated at the upper part of the flap. As the fluidtight Seal between the contacting surfaces of the flap and seating is obtained'largely by the lubricant or sealing substance supplied to the parts as hereinafter described, we prefer to provide an annular ridge 3 on one of 'the parts, for example, the seating, and a complementary groovein the other part, the lubricant being delivered by channels m as'shown to the groove from the'interior of the flap so that when the flap is closed the ridge becomes embedded in the lubricant.. One end of the spindle projects beyond the body part and is externally screw threaded, and on this screw threaded part is mounted a hollow member 1. In this member adjacent to the outer end of the Vspindle is arranged a lubricant chamber. This chamber communicates with a reservoir d containing a screw plug s piston q and spring r as already described, and the communication between the said chamber and reservoir is controlled by opposed non-return valves 4, 5. The valve 5 can be pressed off its seating by a projection 6 on .the adjacent end of the ap spindle. A non-return valve I0 is also provided in the hollow spindle as shown. Movement of the part 'l (containing the lubricant chamber and reservoir and the valves 4, 5) relatively 'to the casingl c of the valve, is prevented in any convenientmanner,

'the compartment adjacent to the spindle end into the interior of the flap, whence it can pass tothe outer face of the flap, and into any other distributing passages in the valve. During this movement which is Ycaused by the screw thread connection between the spindle 2 and the part 1, the valve 5 is pressed seating by the projection A6. But during the opening movement of the flap the relative axial movement o f the VspindleAand part 1 is such that pressure on the lubricant in the flap is relieved, and a-A further supply can pass into the aforesaid chain` ber from the reservoir'd under the action of thef` piston q until the valve 5 is closed.V As no pres-f sure is exerted on the lubricant when the valve` is open undesirable leakage cannot occur. Re' turn flow of lubricant from the interior of the flap is prevented by the non-returnA valve I0. ConsequentlyY the lubricant supply is controlled in a Very simple and convenient manner, and lubricant is only forced through the passages during the closing movement.

The invention is not limited to the examples described as subordinate mechanical details can be varied to suit different requirements.` Moreover, the invention is applicable to'slidable or rotatable valves in4 which the closure memberv remains in permanent contact with its seatingV when moved to and from the closed position, but in all cases the fluid control device operates to close the communication between the reservoir and the valve surfaces when the valve is opened and 'reestablishes the communication at a suitable interval in the closing movement. By'this invention the maintenance of a sup-l ply of lubricant or other fluid on the seating surfaces of the valves is effected automatically in a simple and convenient manner.

Having thus described our invention what we claim as new and Ldesire to'secure by Letters Patent is:-` Y

1. In valves of the sluice type, the combination of a hollowl closure member movable onto and away fromjaseating, said closure member beingprovided with lubricant distributingchannels connecting the interior of the closure member with the working surfaces of said member, a lu-A bricant reservoir in communication with the interior of the closure member, a spring-controlled piston in the closure member, a xed abutment yby which engagement with the piston during the closing mcvementrof the closure member causes the piston to force lubricant out of the interior of the closure member and through the distributing channels to reach the working surfaces of the closure member, and valve means for controlling communication Vbetween the lubricant reservoir and the interior of the closure member.

2, In valves of the sluice type, the combination of .a closure member having a central hollovvportion, parts pivotally connected to. the central hollow portion and having surfaces mov; `able tov :and from avseating, ythe central hollow portionv and thev seat-contacting parts' having connected lubricant-distributing channels communicating with the interior of the central hollow portion, a, lubricant reservoir in communication with the interior of the central hollow portion, a spring-controlled piston in the central hollow portion, a fixed abutment by which engagement with the piston during the closing movement of the closure member causes the piston to force lubricant through the distributing channels to reach the Working surfaces o1' the seat-contacting parts, and valve means for controlling communication between the lubricant reservoir and the interior of the central hollow portion of the closure member.

ROBERT WILLIAM LEACH.

WILLIAM HENRY BATEMAN. 

